Highton

Highton is a residential suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia.

Highton is a residential suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. With views across Geelong, Corio Bay and the surrounding region, Highton is located along the banks of the Barwon River and across the rolling Barrabool Hills. The Barwon River straddles Highton to the north and east, while it is bordered by the hilly Ceres and Wandana Heights to the west, the former (and now underground) Kardinia Creek separates the suburb from Belmont to the south-east, and the Princes Highway and Pigdons Road to the south separate the suburb from Waurn Ponds.

Grazier John Highett set up a farm and finished building his house on a hill overlooking the Barwon River in 1834. Two years later his wife and daughter moved in with him.Later his property became the Montpellier vineyard, hotel and picnic ground. Highton was named after an abbreviation of his name. Reserves, reservoirs and a school in this beautiful suburb still bear the Montpellier name. The ruins of the original property still exist in Montpellier Park.

The district had been extensively subdivided by the mid-1860s and boasted a hotel, a post office (opened on 1 December 1864)

and a population of about 300 people. Vineyards, orchards and farmland were the major commercial activities for some decades. Between 1927 and 1933, two major orphanages and the Glastonbury children's home were opened in the suburb.Residential development reached Highton by the post war 1950s, the scenic hills overlooking the Barwon River valley being popular with residents. The Highton shopping centre in Bellevue Avenue was constructed in the mid-1960s. Highton Post Office moved here in 1965 and a Highton South office opened the same year.

Kardinia Creek separating the suburb from Belmont was placed underground. Further residential expansion continued southwards and by the 1990s housing had reached the Glastonbury Drive area.

Major residential developments in the area north of Barrabool Road and west of Scenic Road have seen a sizeable increase in the suburb's population.